W. VOLLEYBALL

Women's Volleyball Grabs First Win of 2013 Season

September 15, 2013

by Paul Horner

PEMBROKE, NC - The Pfeiffer University women's volleyball team (1-7) took control early and seized their first victory of the 2013 season over Flagler College 3-1. The victory was the team's first of the season and the first in Head Coach Paul Lawson's tenure as the Lady Falcons' new leader. The win would also come without the help of Lady Falcon junior Kelly Lancellot who missed both matches due to an injury. The match was the first of two back-to-back contests for Pfeiffer today, with the second match coming against the home team, UNC Pembroke.

The Lady Falcons came out swinging in game one, putting up a commanding 13-9 lead over the Saints in the first half of action. Flagler would fight back and pull even with the Lady Falcons before taking the lead 14-13 off back-to-back Pfeiffer attack errors. The Saints extended their lead to 22-17 on a kill by Emilee Taylor, but it wouldn't last long. Following a timeout, the Lady Falcons would regroup and claw their way back on top beginning with a strong kill by senior Milana Mervosh. Pfeiffer carried the momentum to the finish, sealing game one 25-23 with a kill by freshman Shelby Younger. The Lady Falcons would surrender game two to the Saints 22-25 but the loss proved to only be a small speed bump on Pfeiffer's road to victory. Game three was Pfeiffer's time to shine, clearly making a statement with a 25-17 win enroute to a solid 25-23 win in game four to secure the match. The Lady Falcons lit up the box score with impressive marks in nearly every column. Mervosh led all players with 14 total kills only besting her teammate Kelsey Blauser by two. On top of Blauser's 12 kills she put up an impressive .476 hitting percentage, contributing to the Lady Falcons' overall hitting percentage of .201 for the match. Pfeiffer's Emily Wall led all players in assists with 21 as well as in the service ace column where she put four balls on the Saints' side of the net. The Lady Falcons put up impressive numbers defensively as well, notching 63 total team digs to Flagler's 52. Junior defensive specialist Meghan Davis led all players on the defensive side of the ball with 15 digs for the match.

The second match of the day for the Lady Falcons was almost a complete opposite of the first, ending in a 3-0 decision at the hands of the host team. UNC Pembroke jumped out to an early 4-2 lead in game one, and after two ties and lead changes, pulled away from the Lady Falcons never looking back and handing Pfeiffer a 18-25 defeat in the first frame. The second game wasn't unlike the first, with the Braves besting Pfeiffer 16-25. In game three the Lady Falcons showed true grit and determination and shook off the first two losses showing the fire they displayed in the day's first contest. Following six ties and two lead changes, Pfeiffer appeared to be pulling away from the home team in game three, taking the lead 21-17 off an attack error from Marissa Baker. The Lady Falcons unfortunately couldn't maintain the momentum and succumbed to the Braves in the final game, 24-26. A lackluster offense proved to be Pfeiffer's downfall in the third match with the team only putting up a .008 hitting percentage coupled with 27 total team attack errors. The Lady Falcons were led in the kill column by Mervosh for the second match in a row. Mervosh and senior Anna Vizvary contributed seven kills apiece for the contest. Pfeiffer newcomer Haley Denny led all players in the dig column with 23 total on the match.

The Lady Falcons have five days to rest before they return to action on September 20th when the take on Lees-McRae in Banner Elk, NC.